


tell me (what is love)

by Be Radioactive (RainbowyMess)



Category: EXO (Band), One Piece
Genre: Angst, BAMF everyone, EXO-M - Freeform, EXO-M centric, Fluff, Luhan-centric, M/M, Multi, One Piece AU, Pirates AU, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Threesome - M/M/M, krease, slight crack because One Piece, so many kpop cameos, stupid humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-14 04:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11200629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowyMess/pseuds/Be%20Radioactive
Summary: Lu Han escapes his life and his duties; chasing the greatest adventure of the century, he discovers love and friendship along the way, but most importantly, himself. one piece au.





	1. part one

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into exo fics... welp. I saw a fanart of Lu Han in the one piece universe and I just had to write about it. I don't think it's necessary to know the anime/manga to follow the story, though it would probably help. I will include a few definitions as they come in context. (but seriously, if you haven't yet, do watch one piece, it's an hilarious masterpiece)
> 
> This is going to have maybe 5 or 6 parts. The first two are written, and the third is well on the way. But I unfortunately can't promise regular updates because my muse is truly a fickle bitch and does not obey me ever. This is the type of fic that gets worse before it gets better, fair warning. (if it at all gets better... don't know how I managed to make a one piece au so angsty, but I did)
> 
> I've adapted the universe to fit my story, of course. Lu Han and Yixing come from a sky island, but they don't have wings like Skypiea's people. And I've allowed myself to add some chinese vocabulary that is only used on their Island, just because. You can assume that the rest of the world speaks korean. I like using hyung and terms of the likes, ok? All the characters are from the kpop industry, so expect lots of cameos. ;) Plus, I've made up some of the Devil Fruits to fit exo's powers.
> 
> Stuff you might need to know for this chapter (for those not familiar with the OP universe):  
> The One Piece is a treasure left by the Pirate King, who died 20 years ago, on the island Raftel at the end of the Grand Line, an ocean that goes around the world in a straight line, surrounded by the Calm Belts on each side (oceans full of Sea Monsters and devoid of any air current, making it very life-endangering and impossible to navigate a ship, more info in the geography [here](http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Sea)). They say the one who finds the One Piece will be the new Pirate King, and thus, pirates from all over the world are aiming for it.  
> Devil Fruits are fruits from unknown origin that can be found anywhere (but are rare and worth a lot). When eaten, they give the user a specific power, different for each fruit. You can't have more than one power. There are three types of fruits, [here](http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Devil_Fruit)'s a link for more details.
> 
> Sorry for the super long author's note!! English is not my first language and I am unbetaed, so I apologize for any mistake you might find! Please please please leave a comment if you liked! (or didn't!) It feeds my muse and makes her more receptive to my demands. *^*

**part one.**

Lu Han is forced to eat a funny-looking, foul-smelling, awful-tasting fruit when he is one year old. Seated on a mat made of island cloud, surrounded by hundreds of onlookers, they place twenty-too Devil Fruits in front of him and wait with bathed breaths for him to choose. He looks at his mother with a small frown, his sparkly eyes looking lost, but she only smiles. Lu Han finally looks at the strange, multi-colored, swirly things placed in a half-moon. Letting his tongue peak out, he giggles a little before suddenly getting on all fours and crawling to the left. He reaches for a black and yellow fruit and grabs it with his chubby fingers, cradling it in his arms.

An excited murmur travels through the crowd and exclamations of joy are shouted out. The king gestures for the untouched fruits to be taken away under the still puzzled look of his son, who hugs his new toy even closer to his heart. A small and wrinkly old man in a white ceremonial robe walks next to the toddler and touches the crown of his head with reverence.

“Prince Lu Han of our great Skyna Kingdom has chosen the Denshi Denshi no Mi!” The crowd goes wild. Under its watchful eyes, the prince is fed the whole fruit through snot, tears and loud bawling, the foul taste overpowering all his senses.

They send the news to all the villages, all the cities and all the kingdoms of the sky islands. The future ruler of Skyna is born, and his choice of fruit ensures that he will be a wise and empathic king, kind and benevolent to his people, but merciless and devious to his enemies. He shall be a great king, they say. And in secret, away from suspicious ears, they tell his parents of the second part of the prophecy. This choice of fruit means that he might not rule, or that if he does, he will not do so young. They say it is a fruit that speaks of adventures, of a quest, of many fights. But also of growing up, growing strong, growing to become someone truly _special_. And that if he survives all his ordeals, the prince could become the greatest ruler Skyna has ever known.

“Or he could die,” the white-robbed old man adds with a shrug.

.

.

They make Lu Han use his powers, hoping to make him learn how to control them, but it only brings him confusion and pain. He cannot be two people at once, not so young, and when he wriggles in someone else’s mind, his body stays motionless, soulless. Adult minds scare him, too complicated, too many unknown emotions that are controlled and put in boxes, an organized mess that he cannot comprehend, cannot decipher. The minds he takes over end up as grown-ups curled flat on the floor, hands clutched to their heads, until finally he returns to his body and _cries-cries-cries_.

When he is three years-old, and still no closer to controlling – nor liking – his powers, Lu Han’s master finally suggests children as an alternative until he has matured enough to handle adult minds. The general immediately suggests his son, Zhang Yixing, who is one year-old. He describes him as a meek and curious toddler who learns things quickly and efficiently, even at such a young age. It was already his destiny to serve and protect the prince, they are only putting them together sooner than planned.

“Are you sure about this?” The king worries, knowing this is asking a lot of the family. But the general does not hesitate, and nor does his wife. It is the fate of their family to serve the royals, no matter the sacrifices. They take the small, dimpled child to the royal treasury, and under his father’s encouragements, he consumes the Ikka Ikka no Mi, a mythical Zoan-Type that they deem a good match to Lu Han’s powers. He chews slowly and refuses to show his tears; already a soldier.

“This will make him the perfect playmate to accompany and protect the prince,” the general declares with a proud smile. “Should the prince lose control of his emotions, Yixing’s transformed state will always be able to settle him down. Should he get hurt, Yixing will heal him. And should he get attacked, Yixing will fight for him.”

.

.

The two children grow up together joined to the hips, as best friends, brothers, closest confidents. They learn and experience everything together. Lu Han, always curious, always coming up with crazy new plans to experiment life to the fullest, and Yixing the voice of reason and the shoulder to lean on when things go awry.

They grow into their powers as well, slowly but surely. Yixing turns into a unicorn when he is two, and Lu Han jumps around and hugs his beast form with joyful enthusiasm. When he is four, he is finally able to stop at the hybrid state, bigger, furrier and adorning a single white horn. When he is five, he lowers his forehead, making only the tip appear, and heals the scrapes on the prince’s knees. When he is eight, Lu Han rides on his back as he races through the clouds, followed clumsily by worried guards who can’t quite keep up with his speed. The prince whoops and cheers, asking him to go _faster, faster!_ And as they soar towards freedom, Lu Han seeps into the other’s mind and feels the strong muscles galloping and the warmth and love of his friend’s thoughts.

Lu Han has a harder time adapting, to say the least. He doesn’t like his powers, doesn’t like to intrude and control others, doesn’t like feeling as though he loses himself. Sometimes, he isn’t even sure who _he_ is anymore, not even sure if _he_ exists. He never tells anyone, not the king and queen, not even Yixing.

The first time he slips into the dimpled boy’s mind, he devours anything he finds. He goes through every nook and cranny, amazed and curious and _so happy_ to finally be in a mind that doesn’t overwhelm him. He makes the little boy stand up, stretches his limbs, pokes his cheeks and laugh loudly in an expression Yixing’s face has never made before.

He runs in a circle, tumbles to the floor, and then turns towards his own body, Lu Han’s body, motionless and eyes empty of any life. It scares him, to see himself this way. It scares him, that Yixing’s hands are so much smaller when they grab his body’s shoulders and shake them. It scares him, that he hears Yixing’s thoughts as though they are his own, that he feels Yixing’s feelings are though they are _his_ feelings.

He leaves his new friend’s mind and body, returns to his own, and breaks down crying, thankful to still be himself, to still have his own body, safe and sound, and scared beyond belief of this whole new person now stored in him, this person that isn’t him, should not be him, and yet that he understands and knows everything of as though it _is_ him, now. He isn’t Yixing, and Yixing isn’t him. And yet, now, a part of Lu Han _is_ and always will _be_ Yixing.

They make him do it again and again. He becomes Yixing, leaving his body behind. He learns what Yixing learns, he does what Yixing does, he thinks what Yixing thinks, he likes what Yixing likes. At first, Yixing has no space left, no control. Lu Han takes everything and leaves him powerless, only able to think, if even that. But his friend never complains, never shows fear. He welcomes the prince in his mind and body with open arms and patiently waits for control to be given back. He trusts and believes.

Lu Han becomes and becomes until, one day, he is Yixing and Lu Han at the same time. Just for a few seconds at first. Then a few minutes. Then hours at a time. The two bodies move at the same time, think at the same time. It’s confusing, for Lu Han. He can only make them do the same moves. If Yixing waves his left arm, so does Lu Han. But he learns, he tries so hard, and eventually, Yixing stands up and Lu Han sits down.

And as the years go by, Lu Han crawls into Yixing’s thoughts, but not his body. Or moves his body but leaves him conscious, and as they cohabit snuggly in the same limbs, they share conversations, emotions, disagreements. Lu Han has been Yixing for so long, he isn’t sure, sometimes, whether he is Lu Han or Yixing. He envies Yixing, who no matter what, gets to just be _himself_. But it’s okay, he thinks. They are happy, aren’t they?

.

.

When Lu Han is ten, they make him practice his powers on people who aren’t _Yixing-Han_. He learns of new minds, new thought processes, new emotions, like lust, resentment, depression, jealousy, nightmares. But also love, brotherhood, dreams, passions. He learns to be cunning, to be understanding, to be judging, to be shy and to be adventurous, to want everything of life and yet nothing. To fear and to trust, to believe and to be hopeless. He lives as many happy childhoods as terrible, life-shattering ones. He experiences heartbreak, he knows the feeling of welcoming a new life into his arms and of holding a corpse, the pains and joys of giving birth. He gets new scars, new strengths. He becomes a woman, a man and all there is in-between and beyond.

His only lifeboat, the only way he knows to not lose himself, is to disappear into Yixing’s mind, evening come, and hide there in the oh-so-familiar thought patterns and emotions, until finally he regains a sense of self. It might never quite feel like just Lu Han, it might always be a Yixing-Han mix, but it’s home and Lu Han sinks into it with thankfulness.

His friend hugs him tight, murmuring nonsense into his ears, and they fall asleep together, two bodies but one mind. And on the worst nights, when Lu Han just can’t find himself, can’t cope, can’t understand all these new personalities, all these new stories invading him, when he loses control and just wants everything to _stop_ , Yixing takes on his beast form and _forces_ emptiness on him. He pushes until Lu Han is left as nothing but a blank slate, wiped of all the emotions and memories. Then, slowly, still enveloping the prince in peace and serenity, Yixing helps him build himself back-up from scratch.

And every time it happens, Lu Han wonders just how much he loses of himself. How many pieces are left, and for how long. Yixing begs him to stop, to tell the king and queen. “You can’t continue like this, Lu-ge. Something… something _has_ to change,” he implores, shaking him by the shoulders. “It just means I’m not strong enough yet. But I’ll get there, I will,” Lu Han says with a smile. He flicks Yixing’s nose, letting a giggle out at the surprised yelp of his friend.

And he _does_. He gets so strong, nothing ever shakes him. Except, maybe, when he is Yixing.

.

.

The two friends learn how to fight. At the prince’s whining, the King reminds him that he must not be dependant on his powers. That if, for some reason, he cannot use them during a fight, it would leave him defenseless. And as future King of Skyna, he must stay alive no matter what. _It is your duty, son._ Lu Han wants to retort _what fights_ , but he swallows it back and follows his father’s orders.

Lu Han doesn’t understand, at first. Why he has to work so hard, why he has to suffer so much just so he can defend himself. Isn’t that what the guard are for? He doesn’t understand until, one day when he’s fed up and just wants a bit of revenge, he discreetly peeks at his father’s thoughts and hears of his own prophecy. He runs to his mother’s side, begging for the truth. Will he _die_?

“That’s why you need to be strong, Xiao Lu,” she whispers in his ears. “We don’t know how it will happen, or why. But you will leave us. And it will be up to you to be able to return. We just want you to be ready.”

They are taught various martial arts. Yixing is a natural, memorizing quickly and executing with grace. He works hard for it, practicing late into the night, always pushing his limits until he just can’t stand anymore. Until he hurts his hip and his arms tremble and sweat soaks him from head to toe. Lu Han follows his example and finds it strangely rewarding. He learns of his strengths, of his limits, and enjoys the challenges new routines bring him, enjoys it all much more than he ever did his powers.

Sometimes, Lu Han thinks that learning of the prophecy is what made him leave. That without it, without the stupid choosing ceremony and the stupid beliefs of their Kingdom, Lu Han would have never seriously considered going out into the world and abandoning his duties as prince of Skyna.

.

.

When he is fourteen, he falls in love for the first time. Except _he_ doesn’t. Yixing does. But Lu Han is Yixing, always. So, even though he’s never met the little girl, has only seen her in his friend’s thoughts, and even though he’s never much liked blondes before, and even though he thinks her laugh is a little too wide and she’s a little too tall, he loves her.

They don’t talk about it. They don’t need to, because Lu Han knows everything about his friend without ever asking. He doesn’t say that he loves her too, because that would be ridiculous, because then Yixing would know how little Lu Han is Lu Han, and how much he only feels when he is Yixing. How his whole persona now feels like a farce, an overdone disguise he has to wear as his own skin. Lu Han the overly curious, fearless, adventurous, obnoxious, cheeky, cunning prince of Skyna. But he must wear it splendidly well, for no one has caught the lie. He wears it so well, he thinks, that he even manages to fool himself, sometimes.

One afternoon, the dimpled boy comes back red-cheeked, jumpy and almost begging the prince to read his thoughts because he’s just _too shy_ to use words. He kissed her, or maybe she kissed him. He doesn’t really know, and does it matter? It was just an innocent peck, yet it makes Yixing blush and stutter and Lu Han close his fists in white-hot anger.

He wants to scream that he likes her too, that Yixing can’t _do this_ to him, that he doesn’t want to experience kissing her through memories, that he wants to do it himself, that this is unfair, so unfair, because he wouldn’t have liked her if it wasn’t for Yixing, wouldn’t even have looked at her, and yet now his heart breaks into a million pieces and he just can’t…

But he pushes the tears back, because he’s stronger now, he can get through anything. And he unclenches his fists, because Yixing doesn’t deserve violence thrown his way. And he smiles, because there’s nothing else he can do but.

“Good for you, buddy,” he grinds out in a cheerful voice that sounds horribly fake to his ears. And maybe Yixing senses it, because his wide, blubbering smile mellows and he hugs him warmly. “Thanks, Lu-ge. You’ll find someone too, you’ll see.”

Lu Han nods and isn’t sure what he feels more at Yixing’s misunderstanding, relief or bitterness. He doesn’t _find someone_ , not really, but he meets girls, and boys, in the following years. He never really feels anything, not the way Yixing feels, but he likes the physical contacts, likes experimenting, likes finally doing himself what he’s only done through others. He’s not too bad at sex, he thinks smugly, and he likes to tease Yixing who hasn’t gone as far yet. He likes the jealousy in his friend’s mind, because for once, he’s the one living, experiencing, _feeling_ more.

.

.

He becomes obsessed with the One Piece when he is fifteen. An actual, real-life pirate comes to their island, looking to repair his ship out of the World Government’s eyes. Not many from the Blue Sea visit the sky islands – not only are they hard to access for people from below, but apparently, most of them think their existence is nothing but legends and hear-say – and this has Lu Han dying of curiosity. Actual, sincere curiosity.

“Let’s go, Xing-Xing!” He bellows to a surprised Yixing, picking his friend up from his afternoon classes. Lu Han jumps on his jet board, zipping past the startled citizens walking around in the busy city streets. Yixing gives himself enough time to sigh loudly before taking his beast form and following along at full speed, like he always does.

When they stumble upon the bay, facing the expanse of the White White Sea, the pirate’s boat is already gone. The workers inform them that it was taken for repairs two hours ago, and that the pirate said he needed a drink and would be back later. Lu Han whines loudly, clinging to his friend’s white fur. “It’s a pirate, Xing-Xing! I _have_ to meet him! Now, right now, right this instant, you don’t _understand_!”

“Just look for him,” Yixing says with another long-suffering sigh. “He can’t have gone far.”

And Lu Han gets a wicked glim in his eyes, grinning. He gets back on his board, gestures for Yixing to follow, and sets off. He jumps from minds to minds, tracking their memories of the pirate who thankfully stands outs amongst their people. “He’s so tall!” He tells Yixing. “He’s got a scar on one eyebrow and he smirks a lot and he has a really cool hat! This is so awesome!”

They finally find the pirate seated in a pub drinking a fancy blue cocktail. The man turns towards the open door at their loud entrance. He doesn’t look surprised when Lu Han approaches him without any hesitation.

“You’re a pirate,” Lu Han declares matter-of-factly.

“I am.”

“Why can’t I read your mind?” The prince asks, cocking his head to the side, eyes shining in fascination. Yixing jumps in surprise. _You can’t?_ He mouths silently, but Lu Han ignores him, too focused on the strange man.

“You must be a Devil Fruit User, huh, kid? That just means my mind is stronger than yours. Ever heard of Haki?”

“I haven’t… Tell me everything!” Lu Han gushes out, rushing to take a seat next to the man, who simply chuckles. Yixing takes one step forward, worried, and his friend absently grabs his arm to make him stand closer. _It’s okay_ , he says through his eyes. _He won’t hurt us, I just know it._

“I’m Lu Han, this is my best-friend Yixing,” The prince says, extending his hand.

“Choi Seung-Hyun,” the man answers, grabbing his hand and giving it a few firm shakes. “So, why were you looking for me, kid?”

“What’s it like, below? And being a pirate? Is it true that the pirate King left a treasure at the end of the Grand Line? Is it that hard to find? Do you have a big crew? Are you the captain? What’s your bounty?”

“One question at a time,” The man laughs. “I got time to kill, I’ll answer anything you want.”

And he does. They talk for hours, Lu Han a never-ending source of curiosity, and even Yixing dares to pipe up, eventually. They learn about G-Dragon, the pirate King who conquered the Grand Line, hid the One Piece and surrendered to the World Government, thus starting a new Pirate Age. They learn about the Red Line, about Paradise, about the New World. They learn about dreams, about the impossible being possible, about the freedom of being a pirate, the joys of fighting worthy opponents and defeating sea monsters. They learn about amazing adventures they could have never imagined themselves, about cities below the sea, about the Yonkos, about strange Devil Fruit powers, about the Shichibukais, about treasure maps, log poses, unpredictable weathers…

And for the first time in possibly _ever_ , Lu Han just _wants_. For himself, by himself.

.

.

Yixing is fifteen and Lu Han seventeen when things change between them. When they both realize Yixing’s feelings. When Yixing’s heart clenches at the sight of his friend, when he averts his eyes at Lu Han exchanging a hug or a kiss with someone else, when he starts dreaming of holding hands, of spooning in bed, of taking clothes off and rub and glide against each other, skin to skin. Of sharing heat and warmth and love like never before. When Yixing can’t look at his prince without longing.

It’s not a sudden revelation. Yixing has always liked fair skin, too pretty faces, too shiny eyes, too wide smiles. It took him a long time to understand that he was looking for Lu Han all along, but he gets there. And of course, to his dread, so does Lu Han.

For the first time in fourteen long years, Yixing tries to push Lu Han out of his mind. Refuses the intrusion, fears the exposure of his thoughts, loathes that he can’t hide the weight of his feelings, of his love, of his _need_. What he can’t understand, perhaps, is how powerless Lu Han is to it, how impossible it is for him to _not_ be Yixing.

Lu Han witnesses it all, the guilt of having such feelings, the fear of losing their friendship, the sliver of hope, of _what if_ that keeps, nonetheless, pulsing through Yixing’s inner most thoughts. Lu Han sees his daydreams, where Yixing imagines them together, as a couple. Where he flicks Lu Han’s nose and Lu Han’s answers with an adorable pout and a fleeting kiss. Where Lu Han takes his hand and drags him to an empty room so they can make out furiously, passionately. Where they spend the rest of their lives together, much like they have until now, except that Lu Han is _his_ and Yixing is Lu Han’s, forever and ever.

Yixing has beautiful dreams, beautiful feelings. A pure love Lu Han yearns for. And really, he’d like to say this surprises him, but it doesn’t. He thinks it was a long time coming. He supposes he should have understood earlier, but reading minds doesn’t mean he can understand them. He couldn’t know what Yixing didn’t yet. Could he?

For a while, they play a game of hide and seek. Until Yixing begs him to leave him alone, that he’ll get over it, that he just wants, for once in his life, to be by himself. “I _love_ you, Lu-ge. But this is _mine_ , and I don’t want to share this with you. Please, _please_ , don’t use your powers on me.”

“You’re _always_ by yourself!” Lu Han lashes out, despite himself. “ _I’m_ the one who never is. But whatever. If that’s what you want!” He turns to leave, forces his mind back to his body. It’s a conscious effort. Not like with others. When he is with Yixing, he is _always_ Yixing, yet with anyone else he has to concentrate to make it work. Does Yixing even realize what he is asking of him? “I don’t understand what your problem is. What’s the point now, when I already know? You don’t have to be ashamed, Yixing.” He adds softly, imploringly.

“I just…” His friend sighs, slumps in his chair. “I just can’t do this, right now. I need time apart. Please. Or I’ll never get over these feelings.”

“If you can’t get over it, will I lose you? Will I lose our friendship?” He takes one step back inside the room, looks down at the dimpled boy. “I mean, because I know that… that you can’t leave me, not really. You’re my… my personal guard, you’re _appointed_ to me, it’s your duty to be by my side for life, but I… I don’t want it if you’re forced to be, you know?”

“No!” Yixing jumps to his feet. “No, that’s not… going to happen. That’s why I need time apart now, while we still can. So that… So that I can put my feelings aside, so I can forget about them. So that we can stay friends. Do you understand?”

“But what if you can’t?”

“I _have_ to.” Yixing declares firmly, hands trembling but eyes sharp.

.

.

The thing is, Lu Han has felt love through so many people, in such vast diversity. He doesn’t quite know what it _is_ anymore. All he understands, at eighteen, is that everyone loves differently. And that him, as _just_ Lu Han, has no idea if he’ll ever be able to decipher his own way out of all he’s felt from others. What is love, to _him_?

The more he thinks about it, the more he sees Yixing’s longing, Yixing’s dreams, Yixing’s needs. He _knows_ he cares deeply for the teenager, he _knows_ he is attracted, can see them together, tumbling in the sheets and laughing together and exploring every inch of their bodies. He _knows_ he can see a happy future, with Yixing. A comfortable, as-easy-as-breathing type of happiness that he can’t possibly imagine with anyone else. For him, it isn’t a burning desire like he has seen in others. It isn’t love at first sight. It isn’t possessiveness.

But he can say, without any doubt, that Yixing is the most important person in his whole life, and has been since they’ve known each other, since the very first time Lu Han entered Yixing’s mind and made it his home. Lu Han figures this is probably as close to love as he’ll ever get, because honestly, he can’t quite imagine ever feeling more strongly about someone than he does about Yixing.

They’ve barely spent time together in the last year, apart from training sessions and official events where they _have_ to be in the same room. And Lu Han has had enough. Yixing isn’t getting over his feelings, that much is clear, and Lu Han is starting to think that maybe he _shouldn’t_. That maybe he doesn’t want him to. He corners the boy after training, closes the door before he can escape, heaving a sigh.

“It shouldn’t have taken me so long,” he confesses, forcing himself so stay out of his friend’s mind, trying _so hard_ to respect his wishes. “I should have told you sooner, that you don’t need to… that I feel the same, that it’s not one-sided. I’m sorry, I guess I needed time to myself as well, so I could figure it out.”

“What are you doing, right now?” Yixing implores him, voice weak, lower lip trembling. “You’re not… You don’t have to force yourself for me, you can’t… I know it’s taking me a while, but I swear, I’m getting there, I’ll…”

“I’m not forcing anything, okay?” He tries to get closer, to grab Yixing’s hand, but the younger shies away, crossing his arms protectively around himself.

“But if I hadn’t started liking you this way, you never would have… You’re just being influenced by me, Lu-ge. By… by my thoughts and my feelings.”

“Maybe so. I don’t know. Is that such a bad thing? Can’t love start like this too? Maybe I wouldn’t have seen you this way, if you hadn’t first. Or maybe I would have, just much later. We don’t know what could have happened, Xing-Xing. Only what _did_ happen. I just… I hate being away from you, okay? And when I look at you, now, I want to kiss you. And I can see it, us together, and it’s so sweet and beautiful… I want us to be together, always. I swear I do. And if you’d prefer for it to be as just friends, you know I’ll respect that. But I need you to know that it can be more, that I’d like it to be more, now.”

Yixing is frowning, trembling, wondering if he can believe his words or not. Lu Han takes one step forward, pulls him in a warm, reassuring hug. He buries his nose in the black strands and tries to convey his sincerity, his _want_.

“Can we at least try?” He murmurs in the shell of the boy’s ear. Yixing shudders, opens his arms, and suddenly they are clutching at each other as though nothing could ever separate them, as though they are trying to meld into one being.

“When did you get so mature?” Yixing laughs wetly, tears staining his cheeks and feelings overflowing.

“Well, I had to make do, without you around for a whole year.”

Their first kiss is bittersweet, Lu Han knows. A shy touch, a slow heat, a weak promise of a future. Lu Han begs for entrance and Yixing allows him into his thoughts with fear crippling deep in his limbs and hope battling at his heartstrings. Lu Han deepens the kiss, a whine rumbling its way out of his throat, as he slips into the boy he hasn’t felt in a year. He isn’t surprised at what he finds. He clings further, battles his tongue against the other’s, hoping to erase the doubts and the hurt that he can feel simmering along the desire and the joy.

Yixing will take whatever he can get from Lu Han, always, because his happiness is to be by his side. But he’ll never trust Lu Han, never believe in the truth of his feelings. Yixing, in the back of his mind, expects Lu Han to leave him eventually. Expects him to fall in love with someone else, a true love, and forget all about his childhood friend turned childhood sweetheart. Yixing knows, _believes_ , that in this relationship, he is the one who loves more. And the one who loves more always loses. But no matter what, Yixing chooses, wants, _has_ to be with him.

Lu Han forces the tears back and clamps his mouth on his lover’s jaw, throat, collarbone. He shuts his eyelids and breathes in the familiar scent, leaving a fiery trail on the fair skin. He wishes… he wants, more than anything, to tell Yixing that he is wrong, that he shouldn’t be afraid, that Lu Han loves him just as much, just as strongly. That nothing could ever separate them, no one could ever get between them.

He wishes but… he just doesn’t _know_. Because a part of him, a very small, hateful part, thinks Yixing might be right. And his silence only reinforces Yixing’s conviction, he knows.

.

.

They keep their relationship secret, at first. It feels too personal, too private, Yixing argues, to share with everyone just yet. Lu Han knows he is just afraid, knows he doesn’t trust him, doesn’t trust that it will last. He understands. Only time will prove how serious he is.

He decides to make it a game. Sneaking around, stealing kisses here and there. Having too long hugs and holding hands a little more than before. Lu Han likes teasing Yixing, likes riling him up, but his boyfriend is surprisingly good at getting back at him, at murmuring dirty nothings in his ears and then smile his angelic, _I’ve-done-nothing-wrong_ smile.

Their first time together is clumsy, good, sweaty. They laugh – giggle – a few too many times, Lu Han slips in the other’s mind and forgets his own body from all the heady _want_ flooding him and Yixing hurts his hip towards the end. But it’s good, they are good. And once they get the hang of it, they are _great_. Lu Han’s powers comes in handy when he wants to drive Yixing _crazy_ , knowing exactly where to touch, when to push, when to stop, what gives the best sensations as he lives through it just the same.

It takes a whole year for them to finally announce their relationship. For Yixing – maybe a little reassured, maybe a little more sure of Lu Han’s feelings – to finally yield to his lover’s whining. Absolutely _no one_ is surprised. The moment is so anti-climatic that Yixing remains dumbfounded and Lu Han explodes in laughter at his reaction, tearing up and holding his stomach in pain.

“Did you really think no one could hear you through the walls? You weren’t exactly quiet.” Yixing’s father says with a smirk, to his son’s mortification.

“Yixing is naive like that.” Lu Han answers with another guffaw, clinging to his boyfriend to avoid falling from his chair.

“I hope you’re being safe at least.” The queen intervenes, primly dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. “Safe sex is good sex.”

“ _Mom!_ ”

.

.

It takes one more year, when Lu Han reaches twenty, for him to decide on leaving. The need to go on an adventure, to explore the world, to make new discoveries and meet new strange people has been slowly burning inside of him. Yixing turns eighteen, officially becoming a royal guard, and Lu Han has his coming-of-age ceremony where he is introduced to all the sky islands’ Kingdoms as crown prince of Skyna.

That night, they congratulate each other, cuddling in bed, and Lu Han can’t stop the words from escaping his mouth. He turns to his lover, biting his lower lip, and nudges their noses together. “I want to find the One Piece. I want… I need to leave.” He whispers.

“I know.” Yixing smiles, showing his dimple, and entangles their hands.

“Will you come with me?”

“Why are you asking when you know I will?”

Lu Han grins cheekily and laps at his mouth in a playful gesture. “Well, that way it gives you the impression that you have a choice, right? Aren’t I so considerate?”

“You little–!”

They wrestle each other amongst peals of laughter, pinching, tickling, biting, until Yixing holds him down and smirks. Lu Han wriggles his eyebrows and inches his knee up to rub against the slowly growing bulge of his boyfriend. The rest of the night is spent in a tangle of naked limbs, hurried-almost-frantic touches and sweat-slicked skin. When they finally lie back down, Yixing nestles on Lu Han’s chest contently.

“Why the One Piece, though?” He asks sleepily.

“It’s the greatest adventure of this century, isn’t it? If I have to follow my destiny, might as well do it with a bang.” Lu Han answers, stifling a yawn. Yixing snorts.

.

.

They make their preparations with the King and Queen’s whole-hearted blessing. Skyna’s best shipwright gifts them with a beautiful ship, small but fast and sturdy, coated in black and grey hues. Lu Han loves it instantly and names it the Black Pearl. Yixing rolls his eyes at the cheesy name but runs a reverent hand on the dark rails. They fill it to the brim with the Kingdom’s best ingredients and the King awards them a little mountain of gold to get them started on their journey.

A banquet takes place two days before departure time, celebrating them like heroes and wishing them luck on their odyssey. The Queen chases one tear away while the King and the General sob loudly, hands clasped tightly. Yixing’s mother hugs them both for a long time and makes them promise to always have each other’s backs. They all get blind drunk and dance, sing and laugh as one, stuffing their mouth with delicious meals and enjoying this last evening as a family for a long time to come.

Yixing and Lu Han stumble back to their private quarters, filled to the brim and giggly like two five years old. Yixing doesn’t say anything when a few tears slide down Lu Han cheeks, and Lu Han doesn’t complain when Yixing clings to him a little more tightly than usual, a little more desperately, as they fall into a deep slumber.

.

.

In the early hours of morning, as the sun peeks over the horizons, Lu Han shakes Yixing awake. He grins excitedly, a huge bag slung over his shoulders, almost bouncing on his feet. “Rise and shine, baby. We’re leaving!”

“What do you…”

“Goodbyes are awful.” He says as though it is the most obvious statement in the world. “Now is the perfect time, no one will be up for a few more hours after that party. So let’s _go_!”

He drags a half-asleep Yixing through the castle’s large archways and out of its familiar walls, passing by the empty streets and quiet houses of the city. The Black Pearl is waiting at the docking bay in all its elegant glory, and Lu Han climbs aboard with a whoop. They get everything ready in a peaceful silence. Yixing deploys the sails while Lu Han makes the final checks. They lift the anchor together, saying one last goodbye to their motherland as the ship surges forward.

Yixing reaches for his boyfriend’s hand and they huddle close together, watching Skyna disappear from their view as they leave their home like thieves. “It’s gonna be great, you’ll see.” Lu Han says in a low, resolute voice. Yixing nods silently, and Lu Han presses a chaste kiss to his lips.

“As long as we have each other,” the dimpled boy responds quietly, “we’ll be okay.”

“Never have truer words been spoken, Xing-Xing.” Lu Han answers with a large smile and a  slightly mocking wink.

“Shut up.”


	2. part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two favorite boys get into the Grand Line and find a crew with minimum troubles. Easy as pie. "Shut up Lu Han. It wasn't easy and I'm not forgetting most of it is your fault!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A way more light-hearted chapter, with a definite touch of one piece's craziness. Yay? Also, expect cheesy, gary-sue-ish background stories till the end. Kris is a ridiculous human being and fits entirely too well in this universe.
> 
> Things you might need to know if you've never watched (you heathens!) One Piece:  
> The octopus is basically a hot air-balloon. It's from the anime, I swear. I can't make this shit up. The Sea Kings are basically super scary, giant sea monsters who can be pretty much any species and whose sole purpose it to eat ships that comes close to them. And Reverse Mountain is the only way into the Grand Line, unless you're crazy and want to try traversing the Calm Belts where there's no air current and tons of Sea Kings. Lu Han and Yixing are crazy, but not that crazy. Berry is what their money's called. I'm not the one who chose the name.
> 
> I'm hoping to be done with part 3 in the coming week... wish me luck! And if you liked, please leave a comment! It feeds my - very - small ego and encourages me to continue. X)

**part two.**

The descent to the Blue Sea goes about as well as expected. The landing, however, could have used some improvement.

They arrive at Cloud’s End, the gate at the edge of the White White Sea, still bickering and making fun of each other. As they cross it, following the strong current going down, they steady themselves for the incoming plunge they know is coming. The spike of fear and exhilaration when they reach the roaring falls and float for a few seconds before tumbling freely down is as planned. And when Lu Han blows the whistle and the giant octopus wraps its tentacles around the Black Pearl, slowing their descent to an almost stop, Yixing caresses the pink skin with a thankful smile. “Takaballoon to the rescue.” The prince says with a large grin, trembling all over from the left-over adrenaline but feeling more alive then ever.

It’s only a few hours later, when the inflated octopus has started to shrink considerably, emptying itself of all its air, and the blue of the sea is almost visible through the clouds, that Yixing checks the log pose and realizes how off-course they are. “The winds blew us to the left. Way to the left. Lu-ge, I think…”

The takaballoon chooses this exact moment to deflate completely, and the two boys scream for their lives as the ship falls freely towards the ground with nothing to slow it down. It stops suddenly, still in the air but much closer to the water, as it lands almost softly – the heavy padding they added under the ship to prepare for the landing coming in handy – right on the nose of a blue-skinned Sea King.

Lu Han looks up, still holding unto the helm for dear life, and his eyes meet the gigantic ones of the monster. They both blink slowly, until Lu Han shrieks and the Sea King opens its jaw in annoyance, trying to catch them. The ship bounces off its snout and they sail through the air all over again, until crashing against what looks like a mountain of huge rocks. The Black Pearl skids down the wide, curving expanse, and finally stops on ragged, bent up edges, almost toppling over from the collision.

Lu Han breathes a sigh of relief, pushing back the hysteric laughter threatening to come out, and gets up on shaking legs. Yixing calls for him with a wobbly voice and he reassures his boyfriend of his safety. He looks around, trying to figure out their whereabouts, until his eyes meet, once again, the round and unblinking ones of a Sea King. A massive turtle whose shell they apparently landed on.

Lungs freezing and a scream bubbling up in his throat, he holds a trembling index finger up, opening and closing his mouth. A dark shadow covers them in darkness, and as he bends his neck backward, he sees a group of Sea Kings towering over them, murderous intent easy to read as one of them even licks its fangs hungrily, mouth opened wide.

“Wha–” His senses finally come back online just in time for him to think about slipping into the turtle’s mind and take control of its limbs. “Xing-Xing, guide me!” He yells just before abandoning his own body, needing all the concentration he can muster to make such a huge monster move to his will. Luckily, the dimpled boy quickly understands what he means and starts shouting directions to avoid the Sea Kings’ vicious attacks.

Lu Han doesn’t know how long it takes them to get to safety, but when he finally releases the animal, it disappears underwater, completely traumatized from his intrusion, and Lu Han returns to his own limbs, breathing harshly and sprawled out on the floor. Yixing runs to him, holding him tightly in his arms and peppering kisses all over his face.

“What… was that?” He says after a few silent minutes of recuperation.

“I think we landed in the Calm Belt, because of the strong winds.” Yixing says.

“Do you mean…”

“Yeah. We’re not in the Grand Line.”

“Then where?”

“My best bet? East Blue.”

.

.

Their first day out of the clouds is spent marveling at the blue of the water, the strong waves, the fishes they’ve never seen before, and recounting their adventure with the Sea Kings in a millions different ways.

The next few days are spent wandering aimlessly, not knowing where the closest island might be and not even sure of which sea they ended up in, disagreeing heatedly about which direction to take, until they finally come across a small fisherman’s boat. The jovial old man shows them a map of the area – indeed in East Blue – and even offers to guide them back to his little village.

Their first steps on solid soil are taken with a childlike wonder, Yixing threatening to dissolve in overexcited giggles and Lu Han plopping his ass down and caressing the dirt and fallen leaves with a huge grin. The fisherman laughs loudly, delighted to have found such strange young men. He invites them over for dinner and they readily accept.

They share a joyous meal, swapping stories and anecdotes. The old man takes their tales of coming from the sky with aplomb, not doubting them for one second. And when Lu Han announces their plans to be pirates and find the One Piece, he cheers to it and wishes them good luck. They finally leave after a few hours, bellies full and a map leading to Loguetown in hand. “It’s the closest island to Reverse Mountain,” the fisherman explains. “If you want to find a crew, lads, this is the place to go. All the pirates from East Blue who aim for the Grand Line make a pit-stop there first.”

.

.

“I can’t believe we’re really here. Sailing on the actual Blue Sea. Heading to the Grand Line. I can’t believe it’s happening.” Lu Han whispers, hands folded behind his neck and eyes locked on the stars lighting the night sky.

“I know.” Yixing quietly replies, burrowing his head more comfortably in Lu Han’s lap.

“I can’t wait to meet our crew.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask but… _How_ are we going to find a crew? Who would want to join two kids who don’t even have a pirate flag yet?”

Lu Han laughs, ruffling Yixing’s hair before settling back in his previous position. “Your trust in our abilities astounds me, Xing-Xing. We are super cool, ok? _And_ good at fighting. Anyone would love to join us.”

“Sure,” Yixing nods with a snort. “But do you maybe have a more concrete plan?”

“Let’s go to a pub, fight the strongest pirates there, and I guarantee people will be throwing themselves at us. And let’s be clear on this, I want to find a cook first.”

“I’m pretty sure a navigator or a shipwright would be more useful.” Yixing answers wryly, rolling his eyes.

“Nonsense. A cook or a musician, and that’s final.”

“Whatever you want, captain.”

“Me, captain? Come on, Xing-Xing. I’m on this adventure so I can escape my responsibilities. Being the captain would defeat the whole purpose. I don’t wanna be in charge. You be captain!”

“Who’s gonna be scared of this face? Have you seen my dimple?”

Lu Han laughs loudly, poking said dimple before ruffling the soft hair. “Good point. Let’s find a scary-looking pirate and make him captain first, then.”

.

.

They reach Loguetown two weeks later. The port is full of pirates’ ships, much to Lu Han’s joy, and the Black Pearl blends in perfectly, even without a proper flag. Yixing suggests splitting up to do their shopping, since they need a few things to prepare for their adventures. “Like paint!” Lu Han says excitedly. “To make the flag!” He adds after seeing Yixing’s puzzled expression.

“Sure, Lu-ge. And maybe some food as well?”

Lu Han first visits the execution platform where the pirate king G-Dragon was killed. He’s heard the stories a thousand times, but seeing it in person is something else. The place is crawling with people, and not for the first time, he is thankful that he doesn’t slip in other minds by mistake anymore like when he was a kid.

He looks up at the platform, picturing those last few moments of the pirate king’s life. Goosebumps leaving a trail on his arms, he smiles broad and free. It feels so unreal. He raises his arms above his head and lets out an excited shout. The person to his right, a tall, fiery red-haired young man with ears sticking out a little too much does the same loudly, making Lu Han jump.

“It’s awesome, right?” The boy says, directing his wide eyes to Lu Han’s and grinning almost madly. “ _My fortune is yours for the taking… but you’ll have to find it first! I left everything I own in One Piece!_ ” He quotes in a deeper voice. “Ha, I have shivers just thinking about it!”

“Are you going after the One Piece?” Lu Han asks with a friendly smile.

“Yeah!” The boy nods eagerly. “Me and my crew. We’re just stopping here for some supplies and to get repairs done to our ship, it suffered some damage because of a storm. I had to see the platform before we left though! I’ve looked up to G-Dragon my whole life! Are you going to the Grand Line too?”

They talk animatedly for a while more until it’s time for them to leave, and wish each other good luck before separating. Lu Han walks through the streets, stopping by some stalls and shops when he finds things they need, heart light from the pleasant encounter. He eventually catches sight of his lover in a bookstore – no surprise there – speaking to a pretty black-haired young man and grins wickedly when he catches Yixing checking the guy out.

Yixing smiles when he spots him and beckons him over, ears slightly red from knowing Lu Han was just in his thoughts. “I’ve met an archeologist,” he says as introduction. “Baekhyun, meet Lu Han, my partner in crime I was telling you about.”

The two men shake hands with warmth. “I don’t want to seem rude, but I actually have to run,” the archeologist says with a rueful smile, “but it was very nice meeting you. And hopefully, we’ll cross paths in the Grand Line!”

“Of course.” Yixing replies with an energetic nod. “We will look forward to it.”

The boy leaves with a wink and a sloppy salute, two fingers flicking away from his temple. Lu Han wraps an arm around Yixing’s shoulder, leaning his head in the crook between shoulder and neck. “You two look cute together,” he teases, leaning to leave a chaste kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Well, he _is_ much prettier than you.”

“Of course he is. I’m not pretty, I’m _handsome_.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

Yixing purchases the few books he’d found and they make way back to the Black Pearl in an easy chatter. Lu Han doesn’t mention the unease flowing through Yixing, his worry that Lu Han isn’t jealous because he just doesn’t _care_ enough, and Yixing doesn’t mention that even though Lu Han knows his thoughts, he still doesn’t reassure him, doesn’t tell him that he’s _wrong_.

Because he doesn’t _know_ how to explain. Should he have felt jealous? Maybe. But he can’t. Not when he is always in Yixing’s mind, not when he knows how much the other loves him. He can’t doubt those feelings because they are always so _present_ , so _unyielding_. Maybe that’s what he should say to Yixing, but he knows that wouldn’t prove anything to the boy. All it does is speak of Yixing’s feelings, not his.

He links their hands together, struggling for a bit to balance their shopping bags, and squeezes hard once. He knows it’s not enough, but it really is the best he can do.

.

.

Lu Han’s plan, of course, is a disaster. He would however like to argue that it _did_ work. Although yes, to be fair, in a very roundabout way. Still, they found Wu Yi Fan “but call me Wufan” – or rather, the man found them – so he’d like his genius to be noted.

They easily find a crowded bar filled with all sorts of suspect characters bragging about how high their bounty is and how big their – ahem – crew is and how unbeatable they all are. Lu Han and Yixing start by getting their drinks, content to observe in silence to the sneers of the burly men surrounding them.

“Ain’t you a little too pretty to be hanging around here?” One of the pirate mocks.

“That is our main trouble,” Yixing answers kindly, adding a dimpled-smile and a polite nod.

“So, who’s the strongest here?” Lu Han pipes up, eyes shining with excitement.

The _besting_ _the best fighter_ part of the plan, thanks to Yixing, also goes splendidly well. Lu Han is doing his little speech, announcing that they are looking for crewmates to join them on their daring adventures. He is standing up on the bar with half the patrons knocked out by his boyfriend and the other half wondering who the hell those two unknown kids _are_ , when the marines burst in.

And that’s where they improvise. Yixing grabs Lu Han by the ankle and throws him to the floor, hiding them under a table in the midst of the sudden scramble. Lu Han hisses in pain, hitting Yixing’s shoulder. “And there goes finding our cook!” He whines, glaring at the men in white and blue busy fighting the pirates.

“Let’s run, they seem determined to arrest everyone in here.” Yixing mutters.

“We don’t even have a flag! We haven’t done anything illegal yet!”

“But do you really want to spend the night in a cell until they figure it out?”

Lu Han begrudgingly agrees and Yixing helps him up so they can try to make a break for it. They don’t make it very far, though, because the bartender grabs Lu Han – and seriously, why does he keep getting dragged around by everyone – by the neck and shoves him behind the bar along with Yixing. His boyfriend is about to knock the man out, but Lu Han stops him with a calming hand on his elbow.

“He’s trying to help us,” he says, having taken a glimpse of the man’s thoughts as soon as he got close to them.

“Yes I am,” the tall bartender confirms, “how did you know? Never mind, let’s talk about this later. Follow me, There’s a trap door in the back.”

The man, Wu Yi Fan “but call me Wufan”, brings them to his house and proceeds to get drunk and tell them his life story – without any prompting whatsoever, Lu Han might add. He was born in Loguetown, kid of two infamous pirates who often travelled to the Grand Line, sometimes bringing him along. Until his father got an untreatable disease and his mother heard that there might be a cure in Raftel, the island where G-Dragon hid the One Piece. She took off with her pirate crew, leaving Wufan and his father behind. And never came back.

“So I have to go to the Grand Line and find out what happened to her. I know she’s probably dead, that was ten years ago. But I need to know what happened. You know?”

“So why haven’t you?” Lu Han asks, lacking tact as usual and earning a shove from Yixing. Lu Han thinks the guy should be grateful he even asks, he could have just checked in his head himself.

He had to care for his sick father, Wufan explains, but a few months ago the old man died and he decided it was time to leave. But when he tried to find a pirate ship to take him along, no one would accept a kid who can’t fight nor do anything useful on a ship. “I don’t have great coordination and working hard for uncool things isn’t my style,” he adds with a bored shrug.

“Why do you think any crew would take you in, seriously?” Lu Han wonders, eyebrow raised.

“I’m handsome. Isn’t that the most important?”

“He’s tall,” Yixing adds, nudging Lu Han, “and he has piercing eyes. What do you think?”

“Can you glare at us? And maybe scowl a little too?”

.

.

The next few days go by in a blur. Wufan wakes up with a hangover from hell and an official invitation to become their crewmate. Lu Han gifts him with the Devil Fruit he managed to steal from Skyna’s treasury just before leaving, thinking it might come in handy. It might as well be destiny when Wufan confesses he has always dreamed of flying and the Ryuu Ryuu no Mi allows him to transform into a dragon.

They make him captain. “Honorary captain. You’re not actually in command, got it? We’re all equals. We just need a captain that actually looks intimidating.” Lu Han specifies to the man’s grumbling. They also help him master his new powers as fast as possible, or at least enough so that he can get by in a simple fight. With Yixing having eaten a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, like Wufan’s, and Lu Han taking control of his body at times to better explain how to do certain moves, the tall man learns quickly.

He reacts like most people do with Lu Han’s powers; wariness. “But like… You’re not reading my thoughts all the time, right? That’s invasion of privacy.”

“Don’t worry, not since the first night. I just had to make sure we could trust you and that you’d fit in with us.”

“Whatever.”

They finally decide on a name for their crew. Lu Han likes EXO, he thinks it sounds cool and mysterious. Yixing asks him if he even knows what it means. “No idea. Who cares?” Wufan figures it should be the Wufan Pirates, or maybe the Dragon Pirates, since he’s the captain. They ignore him. Yixing proposes the Sky Pirates, but Lu Han finds it incredibly boring and unoriginal. They argue and throw lighthearted insults left and right, but Lu Han, of course, wins the argument and they settle on the EXO Pirates.

Next comes their flag. Wufan claims to be a talented painter, which they soon learn is a bold-faced lie, but they find a skull design they eventually all like and he is begrudgingly allowed to paint it on the flag. Lu Han rips the disaster to pieces and Yixing does the new one. To Wufan’s utter unhappiness. “I already regret joining you guys.” He mutters to the laughs of the others. “I shouldn’t have saved you from the marines.”

“Our hero,” Yixing mocks, wrapping his arms around Wufan’s waist and smacking his lips against his cheek loudly.

It takes one week for Wufan to walk in on them doing the deed and finally realize they are a couple. Not that they were hiding it in any way before then. He yelps and covers his eyes while Yixing laughs and Lu Han squeaks, ears beet red. “Will this be a problem for you?” The dimpled boy asks once everyone is dressed, eyes gentle but voice of steel.

“As long as you don’t expect me to join you guys in bed and keep the PDA to a minimum, we’re good,” Wufan gruffly answers, still traumatized by the clear view he got before covering his eyes.

“No problem. But fair warning, Yixing can get pretty _loud_. There’s this thing I do with my–”

“Do _not_ finish that sentence!”

.

.

They reach Reverse Mountain at the same time as another pirate ship. The Black Pearl stops next to it, and Yixing gestures for them both to throw the anchor. The current leading up the mountain is strong, and the path is narrow. They can’t take off at the same time, or it is assured death for both parties. The other ship, a little bigger than theirs with bunny ears on their flag, complies easily.

“Let’s do this, Captain.” Lu Han whispers, clapping Wufan’s back.

“Do what?”

“Decide who goes up first.” Yixing answers, joining them on deck.

To his surprise, the other crew is also composed of only three people, and Lu Han can recognize two of them. The pretty boy Yixing was checking out, “It’s _Baekhyun_ , and I never did anything of the sort,” his boyfriend hisses, and the wide-eyed, red-haired boy from the execution platform, who waves his hands excitedly when he spots them. Next to them is a small, handsome man who smiles kindly and gives Wufan a firm handshake. “I’m the captain, Kim Joonmyeon.”

Things escalate quickly, because Wufan can’t quite grasp the way friendly chats are supposed to go. He challenges the captain to a one-on-one duel, and the winner gets to cross Reverse Mountain first. Baekhyun giggles quietly at the incredulity painting Joonmyeon’s face, while the red-haired giant cheers and Yixing rolls his eyes, smiling fondly. After a few seconds of hesitation, looking lost, the young man accepts the duel. Lu Han goes to get popcorn.

By the time he gets back, Wufan is a spluttering, soaked, cowed mess on their ship’s floor and Joonmyeon is politely telling them they can go first. “That way we’ll know what _not_ to do,” Baekhyun adds to his giant friend’s loud guffaws, who finally introduces himself as Chanyeol. They part way to Wufan’s promise that this isn’t the end and Joonmyeon’s kind words to be careful. “See ya on the other side!” Baekhyun yells with a wink.

“They are now our sworn enemies.” Their captain growls while toweling his hair. “You guys hear me? _Sworn enemies._ ”

.

.

They have a real battle on a small spring island, their first stop in the Grand Line, after almost dying because of the fast changes of weather that, Wufan tells them, are especially harsh close to Reverse Mountain. Their log pose needs eight days to reset and their ship could use some repairs in the meantime. Yixing goes shopping, mostly for food, and Lu Han decides to take a look around the tiny village they stopped in, leaving Wufan to guard the Black Pearl.

The following events _might_ be Lu Han’s fault, he knows. But in his defense, the other party consisted of utter jerks and he has morals to uphold. When he stumbles on a group of men beating a wiry old man and demanding some sort of tax to be paid, of course Lu Han intervenes. And _maybe_ he has a little too much fun making the brutes beat each other up – and exchange a few kisses as well, because that’s even worse for guys like them and Lu Han is tired of all these homophobic assholes he keeps meeting. And _sure_ , telling them to come at him anytime if they want their revenge, adding the Black Pearl’s location and his name to his little speech wasn’t the smartest thing he could have done. But while he is more than willing to admit this to himself, _never_ to Yixing. He has his pride.

When he gets back to his ship, Yixing tells them of his meeting with the locals and how there is this powerful pirate crew controlling the island who has beaten all other ships, pirates and marines alike, who have come on their territory. They take taxes from the island’s inhabitants in exchange for – unwanted and unasked – protection. “The captain’s bounty is worth 60,000,000 berries and the locals say no one has been able to defeat him,” Yixing adds, “so we should lay low until we can leave.”

Lu Han squirms uneasily, twisting his hands behind his back. He _does_ briefly consider coming clean. But alas, he can be quite a coward, at times. “They sound really horrible. I mean, don’t you think so? Should we really leave them be?” He starts, his voice getting steadier and louder as he goes. “I say we should take the fight to them and free these poor souls stuck under their reign and–“

Of course, said dangerous captain chooses that exact moment to show up on the docks with his entire crew, looking for “the pirate Lu Han who humiliated my men this afternoon.” Lu Han sighs dejectedly.

The battle is a close one. Lu Han can’t control huge crowds all at once and the stronger the minds, the harder they are to get a hold of. Wufan hasn’t quite mastered his transformed states yet and has no fighting abilities to speak of. And Yixing may be very strong, but so are the opponents. They easily get rid of the small fries, but end up separated as they battle their own matches. Yixing faces the Devil Fruit’s user captain while Lu Han handles the one-armed swordsman and a spatula-wielding maniac and Wufan goes after the scary lady exuding some strong dominatrix vibes.

They do end up with the villagers’ eternal gratitude and a mountain of unknown but delicious vegetables. Plus free repairs for their ship. _And_ a hot, rushed, adrenaline-filled hook-up with his favorite dimpled boy. All in all, Lu Han would say this is a very successful adventure, wouldn’t have it any other way, ten/ten would do it again.

Yixing whacks the back of his head. And his ass for good measure.

.

.

They find their fourth member on a winter island. Sure, said fourth member hasn’t actually _agreed_ to joining them, but that’s besides the point.

After getting lost at sea and stumbling by chance on a tiny, frozen island, Lu Han berates Yixing for not guiding them properly. Yixing reminds his boyfriend that they need a _real_ navigator, and if he’s unhappy, he can take the log pose any time he wants. Yixing would be more than glad to be rid of the responsibility. The two glare at each other. An oblivious Wufan stretches his limbs and proposes to visit the nearest village.

The tall man asks around for a skilled navigator they could recruit, not having much hope, while the couple sulks and sends half-hearted jibes on the off chance their eyes meet. “You should have used the first one you thought of, it was better,” Lu Han comments with a smirk. Yixing imagines a very creative way of killing the grey-haired older boy; Lu Han almost chokes.

“Well,” a villager says to Wufan, “there’s this boy… I don’t know if he’s a navigator, but he used to travel on the seas before he got here. He came alone, so he must know the bases of navigation? He’s a bit of a hermit now though, won’t let anyone come in his house. Scary little thing, I tell you.”

“He sounds perfect for us!” Lu Han yells out, practically jumping on the poor villager. “Where can we find him and _can he_ _cook_?”

The hermit boy wants nothing to do with them, if the ice shards flying their way as soon as they reach his little cabin are any indication. Wufan blows fire, melting them before they can be hurt, and Lu Han smiles wider. He’s feels around for the stranger’s mind, ready to take control – just to immobilize him so they can come in, he swears! – but Yixing stops him with a shake of his head. “We want to make a good first impression, Lu-ge. Let me go in.” Lu Han shrugs but brings his conscience back to himself.

Yixing goes inside slowly, warning of his intentions beforehand. The stranger relaxes almost instantly, such is the effect Yixing always has, and Lu Han follows the exchange through his boyfriend’s eyes worriedly. Although Yixing can heal others, he can’t heal himself and if something happens…

But nothing does. Yixing convinces the – _absolutely adorable_ , with cute round cheeks and wide almond-shaped eyes – boy they only want to talk. He promises they will leave him alone if he doesn’t want anything to do with him, they just want him to listen. And finally, the two pirates left outside join them in the warm cabin.

Lu Han introduces himself with a wide grin. “I’m Lu Han. This is Wufan, our captain. Yixing and I come from a sky island and we’re going to find the One Piece!” He declares, almost bouncing on his feet in front of the small man. “We’re looking for a navigator, but it’s even better if you can cook. By the way, you really look like a baozi! Doesn’t he, Xing-Xing?”

“A baozi? What’s… No, wait,” the boy says, raising his hands and shaking his head. “You’re not here because of my powers?”

“What powers? Who _cares_ about powers! You _can_ cook, right?”

.

.

Baozi, as it turns out, cannot cook any better than them. But he is indeed a navigator, and a damn good one, or so he brags. He listens to them attentively, serves them the most delicious coffee Lu Han has ever tasted, nods politely to their arguments, thanks them for the visit and promptly throws them back outside, to the snow-filled forest.

He wants nothing to do with them, but Lu Han is a persistent brat, Yixing a gentle soul no one can resist, and Wufan… who knows what that tall idiot is. Point being, Baozi stands no chance against their combined efforts to recruit him. “ _Why_ do you keep calling me Baozi? My name is Minseok!”

“Because your face is round and cute and makes me want to take a bite out of it. Anyway, you’ll join us, right?”

“Wrong!”

“Come _on_!” Lu Han whines, clinging to an amused Yixing. “There is no way you are happy being a grump all alone in your little cabin lost in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know why you’ve isolated yourself, but I swear you’ll have the most fun you’ve ever had with us! And you’re a navigator, right? You’ll get to discover _so many_ places! Greatest adventure of your life! You can’t refuse such an opportunity!”

It all, of course, falls on deaf ears. Far from undeterred, Lu Han shows up the next day wanting to learn how to make such amazing, life-changing coffee. Minseok humors him, polite as ever, and the lesson over, kicks him out once again. Wufan goes the next day. Lu Han doesn’t want to know what he said or did to come back frost-bitten and shivering, head hung low and almost pouting at Yixing as the latter heals him.

“Whatever you’re trying to do, it won’t work,” Minseok quietly tells him three weeks later as he stops Lu Han from burning the coffee beans for the ninth time. “I’m not joining you.”

“Then you won’t mind if we keep trying a while longer, right? Since it won’t work anyway.” Lu Han winks cheekily and congratulates himself internally at the small half-smile adorning the boy’s lips for a fleeting second.

.

.

“It’s time, Baozi,” Lu Han declares one afternoon, sprawled over Yixing, chin rested on his shoulder and arms laced loosely around his lover’s waist.

“Time for what? And how many times do I have to tell you that my name is Minseok!”

“It’s been almost two months. The ship is fully repaired, Wufan has gone through all the eligible ladies of this fine village, _and_ the neighbouring one and my coffee is nearly as good as yours. We’re leaving. Tomorrow morning, as the sun peeks over the white mountains and graces us with its blinding light and loving warmth,” he ends with flourish, pecking Yixing’s cheek loudly.

Minseok turns towards them slowly, expression carefully blank, and wets his lips before speaking. “You’re… leaving?”

“Well, you did say nothing would work. We can’t possibly kidnap you, that would be highly immoral. If you don’t want to come no matter what, we have to respect your choice, don’t you think? The One Piece awaits us, we can’t stay here forever! Of course, our chances of ever discovering it would be much higher with you, and honestly, we might be dead before we reach the next island because Yixing is a _terrible_ navigator,” Yixing smacks him, disentangling himself with a frown, “but what can we do? I mean, I have tried _everything_ , and still you won’t budge. Time to move on.” He shrugs, getting up and stretching with a loud yawn. “I sure will miss you, Baozi. We’ll try to send letters, I promise.”

He grabs Yixing’s hand and drags him outside where Wufan is practicing some new technique of flying – and failing spectacularly – under the frozen gaze of a still expressionless Minseok. “Let’s go, captain,” Lu Han yells cheerfully. “Time to pack!”

“Sometimes I forget how devious you can be, Lu-ge,” Yixing whispers with a sigh.

“Babe, don’t you know by now that you should never underestimate me?”

“Do you think it will work?”

“I sure hope so.”

The next morning, just as the Black Pearl is slowly leaving the port, an ice pond forms between it and the ship, Minseok gracefully sliding on it and landing right next to Wufan. “I can’t believe you guys are really leaving,” he grumbles, letting a backpack fall on the wooden floor. “And you,” he continues, pointing an accusing finger at Lu Han, “your coffee still tastes like shit, don’t be so full of yourself. Your lessons are far from over!”

“I’m glad you changed your mind,” Yixing smiles warmly, clasping the fuming boy’s shoulder and applying a calming pressure.

“Not like I can’t leave if those two morons get too annoying,” Minseok huffs to Lu Han’s delighted laugh and Wufan’s spluttering indignation.

.

.

“I know you manipulated me,” Minseok says that evening over one last cup of coffee before sleep. They are alone in the kitchen and a comfortable silence has been surrounding them, Lu Han for once content to just enjoy the shared moment.

“I did,” he admits with a shrug and a grin, unrepentant.

“How did you know it would work? Did you… your powers, you didn’t…” He fumbles with the words, ears tinted red but gaze sharp.

“No. I didn’t need to. I don’t know much about you, Baozi, but I’ve been in a lot of minds and I’ve gotten pretty good at reading people without, you know, _reading_ them. I don’t know what happened to you, but no one lives all alone in the woods in the middle of nowhere without having gone through some bad shit. You were protecting yourself, and it’s probably what you needed at the time, but it doesn’t stop the loneliness, right? I thought, well… Maybe if we gave you a chance to trust us, to get to know us, you’d realize you don’t have to be alone, and that we won’t betray you. That we are different from whoever you met in the past. And then, I figured a little push was needed, what with your ridiculous pride holding you back.”

Minseok glares at him but lets a thankful sigh escape him. “Good. I don’t… Don’t go in my head, ok? Not ever.”

“You got it, Baozi. Your thoughts are yours and _only_ yours.”

“Great, good. _Good boy_ ,” he adds with a wry grin. And Lu Han _knows_ he was joking, _knows_ he meant absolutely nothing sexual. But he can’t help it. A flush of warmth rushes to his groin and he gasps quietly. Minseok catches the noises, surprised, and eyes him with a gaze a little too speculative for Lu Han’s taste. “You _liked_ that,” he smirks, his childlike face suddenly not so innocent anymore.

“I… I totally did,” he whimpers, hiding his mortified expression behind his hands. “Said by a guy younger than me, at that.”

“What do you mean younger, I’m clearly older than you.”

“What? No.”

Turns out he is, by one measly month, and Lu Han is floored. “But you look so young,” he whines, “it’s unfair if you’re older than me!” Minseok laughs and ruffles his hair affectionally. “You’re one to talk, you look twelve.”

“Excuse you, I look _at the very least_ fifteen!”

“Yeah, but your mental age is five, so…”

“What does that have to do with anything?!”

They continue bickering quietly late into the night, balloted by the gentle waves, their cup of coffee long forgotten at their side. Eventually, Yixing comes to pick up his absent boyfriend, an unhappy frown marring his usually calm features. Lu Han kisses him on the nose and excuses himself to Minseok who waves them off good-naturedly. Just before leaving, he turns towards the _older_ , who would have believed, man and smirks.

“You know, Baozi, I like challenges. I bet you’ll tell me all your secrets with your very own pretty lips, one of these days. Already learned one thing today!”

“Keep dreaming, asshole. And stop calling me Baozi!”

“Never!” Lu Han cries loudly over his back, faintly hearing the answering chuckle.


End file.
